When Organizing, What Belongs in the Kitchen Pantry?

Food

• Keep foods that don't need refrigeration in your pantry. To stay organized, sort your pantry foods by type. For example, if you bake, all the baking supplies should be grouped together, such as flour, sugar, cocoa powder and baking soda. Place crackers together, sort your cans by type and group dried pasta together. Older food items should go in front of newer items. If you come across food that's expired or that you know you'll never use, either discard it or donate it to charity, as long as it is not past its expiration date.

Containers and Shelves

• Make the most use of your pantry space by investing in shelves and containers to keep foods and other items orderly. If you have deep shelves, a tiered shelving unit will allow you to clearly see cans or jars in the back row. A turntable makes grabbing an unopened sauce bottle or spice jar simple. Store dry goods, such as rice, sugar and flour, in clearly labeled glass jars with tight-fitting lids to keep the food fresh longer.

Appliances

• A larger pantry is an ideal place for stashing away kitchen appliances that don't see much use but that you'd still like to hang on to, such as a juicer, ice cream maker or stand mixer. Place the appliances on an easy-to-reach shelf, since they tend to be on the heavy side and you don't want to accidentally drop an appliance on your head when pulling it down from a high shelf.

China and Crystal

• If you have a set of fine china or crystal drinking glasses that you only pull out for formal meals, store them in the pantry if you don't have a hutch. Set them on top of a high, sturdy shelf so that they are out of the way and safe from the everyday hustle and bustle of the pantry. Keep a stepladder that folds in the pantry so that you pull it out to take down the dishes and glasses when needed.